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Winter 2012

In This Issue

Normandy Veterans in the News

In recent months, there has been discussion at Committee level regarding

the future of Normandy Star. The facts are simple, that the cost of

producing and distributing a magazine, twice yearly, is becoming

prohibitive. The costs of the magazine alone are greater per member than

the annual subscription, and as our ability to generate additional funds

through the collection programme dwindles due to the age and infirmity of

those dedicated collectors, so it is necessary to tighten our belts to ensure

that the Branch is able to continue for as long as possible. Secondly, it is

my wish and the wish of the Committee that the quality of the magazine

should not diminish, but it is a fact that increasingly it is becoming difficult

to obtain quality articles and items of interest, despite regular appeals for

material. I for one would hate to see the magazine “dying on the vine” and

become a shadow of its former self. With these factors in mind, a decision

was reached at the September 2012 that Normandy Star in its present

format cannot go on. Circulation of the bi-monthly Normandy Star News

will continue unaffected, however for the time being, Normandy Star will

be reduced to one magazine per year, to be published around December.

Ultimately, it may be that the magazine becomes an online edition only, via

our Branch website and Facebook page and the situation is being kept

under review. One thing is certain however, and that is that Normandy

Star is not finished and you as members will continue to receive a regular

flow of information through this and the Normandy Star News.

With best wishes to you all.

Paul and Sarah McAllister

Editorial

Normandy Veterans Association Norwich & District (No.3) Branch

Officers and Committee Members 2011-2012

Chairman: Veteran L W Mann. Vice Chairman: Mr G Holmes. Secretary/Treasurer: Veteran J S Woods. Committee Members: (1) Veteran F L Scott.

(2) Veteran S D Valori. (3) Veteran J E Curson. (4) Veteran L Fox. (5) Mrs K Burge.

(6) Mr B Harris. Ex-Officio Member: Mr P McAllister.

Other Officers and Appointments

Welfare Officer: Veteran L W Mann. Public Relations Officer: Veteran J S Woods. Assistant Secretary: Mrs S McAllister. Social/Events Co-ordinator: Mrs K Burge.

Standard Bearer/Parade Marshal: Mr P McAllister. Reserve Standard Bearer: Mr M J Baker. Editor, The Normandy Star: Mr P McAllister.

Branch Officers and Committee Members

Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of the Norwich & District No 3 Branch of the Normandy Veterans Association will take place in the

Royal British Legion Centre, Aylsham Road Norwich

on

Wednesday 10th April 2013 11.00am for 11.30am

Rule 8 (part) – Officers and Committee members (a) The Branch shall appoint the following Officers: - Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer, together with a committee of six members. (b) All Officers and Committee members shall be elected by nomination at the Annual General Meeting. Nominations shall be accepted only from fully paid up Members. All candidates for nomination must notify their agreement to such nomination and must be proposed and seconded by two fully paid up Veteran Members. All retiring Officers and Committee members shall be automatically nominated unless they indicate an unwillingness to serve. All nominations for positions of Officers or on the Committee should be handed to the Secretary by 1st April 2013.

Jack S Woods Hon Secretary

Annual General Meeting

Subscriptions for 2013 are now due. If you have not yet received your 2013

Membership Card, it is because you have NOT yet paid your subscriptions.

Please do so As Soon As Possible in order to continue the benefits of

membership. Rates for 2011 are £5 per person (£10 per couple).

All subscription monies to be sent to the Assistant Secretary;

Mrs Sarah McAllister.

12 Millside, Stalham, Norwich, Norfolk, NR12 9PA.

Cheques should be made payable to “NVA Norwich and District.”

Membership cards will be sent out with your next copy of Normandy Star

News or Normandy Star once monies have been received. If you require

your membership card sooner, please enclose a Stamped, Self-Addressed

Envelope along with your subscription fee.

Full colour enamelled lapel badges, produced by the Branch to celebrate the

69th Anniversary of Normandy, are now available. Costs are £3 each to

Branch Members, £4 each otherwise, plus £1 postage/packing.

They can be obtained from George Holmes, 169 Palgrave Road, Great

Yarmouth, NR30 1QD. Tel: 01493 858319. Cheques made payable to “NVA

Norwich and District”

Subscriptions

Lapel Badges

Here, Veteran Kenneth Budgen, late of 5 Armoured Assault Regiment,

RE, concludes his memories of D-Day.

So far, no mines were indicated in our vicinity but we remained vigilant.

Many more Parachute troops arrived that day, cheering them as they

landed until we were quite hoarse. We now knew we had landed, and the

strange feeling that the war was over titillated our happy minds. SWORD

beach was behind us and we were the other side in a new life. This

hallucination was short lived as the noise of battle brought us back to

reality, making us think that the enemy were a long way from home, and

we have the job of pushing them back there.

We were saddened to hear of Captain McClarren's death during the

assault, He was our squadron leader, well-liked and respected and in his

early 20s as most of us were. His tank was hit by an 88mm a/p shell,

fired from an extremely well hidden gun in a wooden structure which

was designed to collapse when approached.

Later that day before the light became too bad to see very far, we

rallied and with other members of the squadron took up positions in an

orchard, mounted the guard and waited for further orders. This was a

rather pensive and trying time, the second wave did not come ashore

on schedule because the sea continued to be extremely rough.

There was a gap between SWORD beach and QUEEN beach, which

meant that our flanks were exposed. The Luftwaffe dropped

Memories of D-Day

antipersonnel cluster bombs from aircraft which flew out to sea, turned

round and flew back at just about sea level . This was their way of

telling us that they were still active.

A whisper was circulating among the men, of a possible German

Parachute Group landing not far away. This was not welcome news and

added to the tension. The Bletchley Park code breakers had done their

job extremely well as the expected 21st Panzer Armour did not arrive to

push us into the sea.

June 7th dawn came early, with a request for assistance to deactivate a

pillbox emplacement at Douvres. The A.V.R.E.s and infantry closed in on

it putting it out of order as requested.

In the weeks that followed our help was asked for on odd occasions:

one of which was Lebessey Wood where a very large ditch had been

dug as a tank trap and deterrent. The operation had to be carried out at

night; a mine field had been laid in the area which had to be crossed.

The Engineers had cleared a path and laid guide tapes for our tanks to

pass through. It all went well until we arrived at the site.

A message came through that one of our A.V.R.E.s had been delayed

and gone off on a different track. Could we send someone to check the

area and redirect them to the ditch? I got out and started to look

around the vicinity. It then became clear that our group had arrived

early as shells from our guns began to fall too close for comfort. My first

reaction was to find shelter. A Sherman tank stood nearby, but getting

under that would be rather dangerous. It was during this decision-

making, and thinking that the missing tank was some distance away, I

summoned my strength and ran as fast as I could towards it hoping

they would not mistake me for the enemy. Having completely forgotten

about the mine field in that instant I can only upon reflection, assume

that whatever mines were in that field were anti-tank, not anti-

personnel. The tank crew were alerted to my presence and opened the

pannier door and let me in. After explaining the position, we set off to

re-join the squadron, who were engaged in making the tank trap safe.

We left the tanks and made our way down to the base of the trap as

quietly as possible, which is difficult in poor light. Just over halfway we

became an invisible target for someone with a Spandau fast firing

machine gun. The tracer bullets passed just a foot above our heads.

This was followed by a skirmish, more shots were fired - we thought -

that was lucky. The tank trap was filled with the Fascine bundles which

the other tanks had brought and offloaded. Once more back in the tank,

we knew that the 11th Armoured and the Infantry would deal with odd

people with machine guns who may be in the vicinity.

Moving away from the site and out of the wood, we waited for further

orders. We could see from the sky that the dawn would soon be upon

us. At this stage our position was one that should be avoided, a clear

area which was part of a track running across and from an open area of

farm land. A sound, which to us all was quite familiar, heralded the

approach of a mortar bomb, which landed fair and squarely on our

engine covers. Lucky again, being a small one, it made a lot of noise

and peppered our turret bin and most of its contents. We did not worry

about items of clothing but our private food store was of much concern.

On another dull evening we were returning to our base along a track

beside a canal when I noticed the engine was working laboriously but

our speed was gradually diminishing. I informed the Commander that

we had a problem. He decided to stop and investigate the tracks

(Churchill tanks have a very powerful engine - and will climb a 1 in 3

gradient- we however, were on a level tow path). As soon as we

dismounted, the reason for our A. V. R. E.’s behaviour was obvious.

Somewhere en route, the right hand track had picked up a strand of

barbed wire and wound it round the driving sprocket. This would have

slowed us down but the huge bundle of wire attached; about seven feet

in diameter was the real culprit. One could imagine people running after

fences five miles away. It took us a good half hour to cut the track free.

Luckily for us the opposite bank was occupied by our 6th Para and not

the 21st Panzer Grenadiers or Waffen SS. They were in the vicinity as

Caen had not fallen at this point.

The next day our water supply was threatened by a sniper in a church

tower. Each time the source was approached he started shooting; we

tried to discourage him with small arms fire, to no avail. Fortuitously, a

Cromwell tank was passing and the Commander needed little

encouragement to train his turret gun on to the tower which contained

the offending sharp shooter. One round was sufficient to demolish the

tower and all it contained; job done.

Another exciting day an FW 190 dropped a bomb right in the middle of

a very large number of neatly stacked Jerry cans filled with petrol;

something like a week’s supply. Although we were far enough away not

to be burnt, the resultant blast wave nearly knocked us off our feet.

The Pioneer Corps laid a mesh metal landing strip quite quickly after the

initial landings and one of the first to land on it was the air ace Johnny

Johnson.

On another occasion an American "Marauder" medium bomber, made

an emergency landing. We quickly realised the reason when aviation

spirit poured from bullet holes in the wing. A time to beat a hasty

retreat - the crew were unharmed - and the aircraft did not burst into

flames as they do in films.

On yet another occasion a B-17 flew over at about 3000ft, what you

may ask is odd about that? The difference was about to unfold before

our very eyes, when thirteen crew members leaped from it, after which

it flew on only to take a vertical high speed dive into the English

Channel. The irony of the sequence was the whole of the crew floated

majestically down into an area occupied by the Germans.

It was not long after our landing and we were not far from the beaches

when a rather unusual event took place. From out of nowhere a small

aircraft occupied our air space at about 1000ft travelling at very high

speed. First it had all the appearances of being mauled by a Spitfire

because its tail was on fire and the engine was making a very strange

noise. Then to cap it all the engine stopped. It then glided on for a

short distance then did a sudden dive into the sea, which finished in an

enormous explosion throwing up tons of water. This was to us a very

big bang for such a small plane. It was then disclosed over our radio

that it was one of Adolf Hitler’s secret weapons, a flying bomb to be

known as a V-1.

The landing strip was also used to evacuate the wounded. Red Cross"

Dakota" aircraft would land and out would jump a group of nurses.

They transferred the wounded from the vehicles to the plane very

carefully - the fact that they were in a danger zone at high risk of

becoming casualties themselves was of less importance to them -

Wonderful Girls!

Through June and July we were used as back up for any difficulty a

column may experience, such as a pillbox holding them up, which would

be dealt with using the Petard spigot mortar or a beehive; land mines

lifted; bridges built or 20 ton pontoon rafts for river crossing.

August would soon be upon us and the summer was still dry; a big push

was anticipated. It came one day when our vehicles were “bombed up”;

ammunition boxes placed on board, with the full capacity of fuel in the

tanks. Our start and centre line was with the Guards Armoured, and the

11th Armoured Division. Our start was well controlled; pockets of

resistance were met and dealt with, after crossing many fields, some

with wheat; through orchards and narrow lanes. By this time the attack

was spread out and the terrain was more undulating. Then action was

not far away.

As we broke cover past a farmhouse, the road turned gently to the left

at the top of a hill, overlooking the Village of Chenodole. The first

indication of not being welcome was, a very high-velocity shell burying

itself in the road-side bank. "Where did that come from?" said a very

loud voice over the intercom. It was the 11th Armoured Commander.

Another voice said "a well concealed tank sir, but we can only see about

an eighth of it." Com, voice,"well hit that bloody eighth; or you are on a

charge."

Once that hazard had been removed we ventured very carefully forward

down the curve which led to the village centre crossroads. Every door in

every house opened and the folks came out to greet us and plied us

with wine. A very happy break, but due to a change of plan it was

decided to press on up the hill to the other side of the village. About

half way up the hill was an S bend, we were instructed to turn round

and position our A.V.R.E. close to the first bend thus covering the lower

section of the road.

The next A.V.R.E. was positioned facing outwards on the second half of

the bend, facing open country; a high hedge was on our right side. It

seemed that we had been there for hours to the point when your eyes

or your brain plays hallucinatory tricks and you get to the state that

every tree branch, leaf and shadow looks like a marching army. This

daydream was suddenly dispatched when, from the comer of a cottage

in the village a very large gun pushed its way, followed by an equally

large tank which had a well-defined black cross on the turret which

meant it was one of theirs and anyway we did not have any Tigers.

There it stood, in the centre of the square, through which we had so

recently passed. At this precise moment, to our horror a small convoy of

trucks led by a halftrack armoured vehicle started to descend the hill on

the other side of the village. We could only assume that they were

bringing supplies to us. The Tiger commander thought it was his lucky

day. He put the halftrack out of action which stopped the convoy. A

Sherman tank of 11th Armoured had a shot at the Tiger but got

damaged.

Other Tanks were seen coming over the high ground near the village

too far away to shoot at. The situation was now looking a little ugly.

Four inch rocket mortars called sobbing sisters were now dropping near

the village. The T.A.F. were alerted and we put on our high intensity

yellow patches for identity as it is sometimes difficult to spot the target

from a high speed aircraft and rocket firing TYPHOONS were very fast.

All this put pressure on the infantry and terrified the villagers.

As the radio had been working for a very long period, we decided to

check the battery strength and found it low, and it was suggested I ran

the engine to charge them up. But surprise; surprise the engine did not

respond to the start button. As we were on a slope I suggested that by

letting the tank roll a short way it would kick start the engine. This was

agreed to by the officer.

Before we could congratulate ourselves upon our ingenuity, poor old

"BOSWORTH" shook from the impact of a High Velocity Missile in the

rear engine compartment and suddenly, my feet were immersed in anti-

freeze engine coolant. Why this should be of any concern to me, I do

not know when getting out of the vehicle was a priority. My co-driver

was already half way through the pannier door, on his side, I went out

without touching the sides, and joined Bob, my good friend who had

vacated the turret in record time. Keeping our heads down we crossed

the narrow road to where a small crew were manning a mortar from a

shallow chalk pit. I will stay here with the mortar crew said Bob to me.

It was a bad decision, and I said so as it would be very vulnerable, if

anything dropped in there. The whole lot would go up. He stayed and I

left him sitting on the rim of the pit with his legs down the inside.

I carried on and pushed my way through a tall but light hedge and was

greeted by a staggering sight of a row of the wounded lying in a narrow

sunken lane awaiting evacuation. Almost immediately, there was an

enormous explosion behind me and I felt I knew what had happened.

Running back to the mortar pit, my worst fears were confirmed,

something had exploded in the pit, injuring the crew; but Bob had

dragged himself away from the pit, with his right leg almost severed at

the knee. He was attended to as quickly as possible and taken off on a

stretcher. Sadly he did not survive. We were very good pals.

Fate took a hand for me, when the next A.V.R.E. Churchill behind ours

up the hill in the bend appeared to have the left pannier door open.

Then to my amazement George Hand the driver indicated to me to get

inside. He and Sergeant Kilvert suggested that I should remain in the

driver’s seat whilst they set up a Bren gun beneath and between the

front parts of the tracks, pointing to open country.

Activity eased for a while, then, without warning there was another big

bang, my right foot felt as though it had it had been hit by a sledge

hammer from beneath as it was touching the metal floor of the tank,

this was immediately followed by a loud scream - a sound which will

remain with me forever. I looked down to see where my foot should be

and it was still there, so my first thoughts were to move the tank. After

shouting over the intercom, ''I'm going to move the tank", the engine

started first try, the clutch operated and reverse gear engaged . Letting

the clutch in very slowly, what happened next I could not believe for, to

my horror, both tracks fell off to the rear. The explosion severely

wounded George and Sergeant Kilvert was wounded in the foot. Was it

a lucky shot or were they spotted? We shall never know. Once again I

had to exit via the pannier door and once again the stretcher bearers

were on the spot doing everything they could, but George did not

survive.

With the sounds of battle going all around us I jumped into a foxhole

only to find it occupied by a poor little infantry man who was as scared

as I was; we didn’t say very much, only hello, I suppose it was

inappropriate to discuss the state of the weather at that precise

moment.

One’s mind functions in strange ways under such circumstances. But we

did decide that we would defend ourselves, he with his rifle and me

with my '38 revolver. I remember studying the activities of the ants in

the earth which surrounded us and wishing that I could be one, busy

carrying their eggs into safe places, the war meant nothing to them.

Only that someone had dug a foxhole and disturbed their living

quarters. I also philosophised about my tank, it seemed a slight

coincidence that it carried the name "BOSWORTH" on its sides, as all

tanks have a name of some sort. This one’s life was terminated as

Richard III was in the thick of a battle. There we were, left with two

tanks out of order and the noise of battle all around; the dead and

dying unable to be evacuated as we were cut off. This went on all day.

It was only after the R.A.F.’s TYPHOON rocket firing aircraft came and

dealt a powerful blow to the surrounding German armour, things

quietened. When the late evening came and the daylight was fading we

were able to move away from Chenodole. Those who were without their

tanks were transported back to base with other crews or MT section.

Even then there was no reason to be over jubilant because there were

small pockets of enemy SS units about, but most were being pushed

toward Falais.

Back at base after de-briefing, I found myself on my way to a field

hospital at Bayeux, diagnosed as a victim of battle fatigue. This was in

August and the big guns at Le Havre were even now able to send shells

onto the coast at Lion-sur-Mer. This did not help the nerves of some of

the patients who were far worse than I. For instance, the sound of the

curtains being pulled was sufficient to send men diving under the table

for cover, or dissolve into tears and shake all over muttering a lot of

gibberish.

After a period of rest at Bayeux I was sent off to a R.H.U. near Ostend

and from there to a village near Gent, where I re-joined my unit. During

my absence, the squadron had been re-equipped with amphibious tanks

called Buffalos and another wheeled amphibious transporter called a

Terrapin.

By sheer coincidence, in an area near the mouth of the river Scheidt the

Germans were being a little stubborn about leaving what was called the

"Breskens Pocket". They had to be dislodged to allow General

Montgomery to use the Docks at Antwerp as his war supply line. But

that is another story as we are no longer in Normandy.

Felixstowe, Suffolk

It is the 6th of June again and I am no longer able to visit the SWORD

beach, but, I can cast my mind back at any time since that morning and

receive a clear picture of where I was all those years ago. Sitting here,

enjoying the warmth of the sun in the garden and the sounds of nature

instead of battle.

A blackbird is perched on a low bough of a strawberry tree taking in the

morning air to produce notes and throwing them at me; his song is in

perfect pitch and blends with his immaculate shape so exact for his

purpose in life and the order of things. The bees are caressing the

clover in the lawn one by one, persuading them to release their pollen,

most gently. Our huge eucalyptus tree is allowing her branches, which

are covered with characteristic blue/green leaves to obey the demands

of the wind, whilst a wood pigeon is humming a stimulating song

without words to his spouse in the fir tree in the hope of a billing and

cooing session later in the day?

Several swifts at various heights are catching insects, which form their

staple diet, with their manoeuvring at high speed and not colliding,

using their instincts and sharp reactions. Roses creeping silently along

the trellis and ropes to reach the arch then on to more ropes which will

support them when their blooms will be shown off with the best

advantage for everyone.

Poppies are growing in the borders, large and beautiful, their vibrant

red petals the size of dinner plates, defying us to forget the heroes who

were left in France from two World Wars and many wars since. I feel

privileged to have known many of them.

K D BUDGEN.

I am extremely grateful to Ken and to his daughter for sending us his

story. You too can have your memories of D-Day and the battle of

Normandy published here in the Normandy Star. All that is needed is to

put pen to paper and forward it to me.

Editor.

Once again we have enjoyed a successful year of street collections across

the City and surrounding areas and it is due to the dedication and efforts of

our small band of collectors. So, firstly, our thanks to all who have given of

their time during the 2012 season. We must also record our thanks to the

various businesses who have allowed us to hold collections in their stores,

and of course to the general public who have so generously contributed

towards our funds. THANK YOU ONE AND ALL.

The Collections programme for 2013 is now being put together. These street

collections are an essential part of the Branch fund-raising activities, monies

raised subsidise trips and events and ensure that the Branch is financially

healthy in the years ahead.

Our dedicated team of collectors is fast dwindling and new volunteers

are urgently needed. Not only will you be carrying out the vital task of

collecting, you will be acting as an ambassador for the Normandy Veterans

Association, giving the public the opportunity to meet and talk with

Veterans, something which is enjoyed by both Veteran and Public alike.

If you can spare an hour or two throughout the year to help with the Street

collections, please contact Sarah McAllister, 01692 583336, to put your

name down.

Thank you.

Collections Programme 2013

This year the Norwich Branch was saddened to learn of the passing of

our former Chairman, Veteran Phil Johnson. Phil was a dedicated and

hard working member of the Branch, a proud Royal Marine and

Normandy Veteran, who did so much to promote the Branch. By way of a

tribute to him, I am re-publishing a story that Phil submitted for

Normandy star back in 2008, which tells of how he came to be a

Normandy Veteran. Not surprisingly, it is filled with that sense of humour

for which he will be so well remembered. God bless you Phil, I am sure

you are up there keeping the almighty entertained!

The year was 1940. I joined the P.A.M.S (Police Auxiliary Messenger Service)

and experienced some funny old days while Norwich was being bombed.

When I became 16 I joined The Navy at Ipswich and did my training at HMS

Ganges. It was very interesting and hard work. I became quite good with the

'Orlican Guns'. After some service I was promoted to 'Leading Seaman'. I

was feeling very proud and decided that The Navy was for me and was

determined to rise to the rank of 'Chief Petty Officer'.

Unfortunately fate dealt its hand. It happened while I was aboard an L.C.T.

as a passenger, on my way back from Scotland after completing a 'Petty

Officers' course. There was a small party going on as a Leading Seaman was

celebrating his birthday. The crew were having sippers and gulpers of rum. To

celebrate I was given a tot also. A bit later the Officer came down to the

mess deck to see what all the laughter was about. He was upset with me

Phil Johnson – A Tribute

and said, because of my rank, I should have had more sense. He then asked

for my service book and looking at it he snapped " You are T not G". This

means I get 2p per day and not rum. He was only a one stripe wavy navy L.T

so I agreed I was given a small tot in celebration. To cut a long story short,

he had me up for receiving illegal rum. I was duly charged and, when we got

back to Dover, was stripped back to Able Seaman and 2 days later was

painting a ship off Little Hampton which I hated.

3 days later I noticed on the message board that the Royal Marines were

forming a new unit named 'Combined Ops Force'. I went for it and got in. I

did my training at R.M. Barracks at Deal.

I enjoyed being a marine. Nobody, but nobody, asked you ever to do

anything that they could not do and did themselves. I went on to become a

Coxswain of an L.C.A. (Landing Craft Assault) I became quite good at my job

training off Little Hampton.

One day we were out at sea on training exercise getting ready for 'D' Day. It

was a fair day but, as taught, I was keeping a 'weather eye' open as you

always had to be prepared that it could change. An L.C.A. only has a crew of

2, The Coaxswain and The Engineer. The sea was fair to good as we went

further out to sea when suddenly a flare went up telling me we should scatter

as there could be an enemy ship nearby. I opened up the throttle and away

we went. 'Yahoo' - You don't have fear when you are young! We had not

gone that far (about 2 miles max) when the sea changed from small horses to

damn big waves. A storm was due and, as I was taught, I headed into the

waves. This is so the vessel does not get turned over by the waves. Now an

L.C.A has a bow which is flat. The coxswain lowers this when coming into the

beach to allow the force to attack the enemy. A part of the bow also has a

flap, which when lowered, allows the troops to fire at the enemy. I was not

worried about that. We had no troops on board. The storm got worse. The

engineer was now at the wheelhouse with me. "What do we do Phil?" he

shouted. "Pray" said I. Then we both heard a crash. The Gun flap was

smashed away by a wave and the sea was rolling in. "What do we do now,

Phil?" the engineer screamed. "Follow me" I shouted as I dived overboard.

The L.C.A. was now well full with sea and only 50% of it showing. In no time

she was gone. Sunk. We were close together with life belts on and in a short

while, no more that 40 minutes, we saw an M.T.B approaching fast. The rope

net was thrown over the side and we scrambled aboard where we were given

a nice blanket and a tot of rum. Soon we were back at Littlehampton reporting

to an officer giving the usual Name, Rank, etc. "Right" said the officer when

he had made his notes. "Carry on". "Permission to speak Sir" said I. "Yes,

what is it?" he asked. I replied "How does one apply for survivors leave Sir?" I

won't repeat what he said!!

However I lived to tell this tale and as a marine travelled to far away places,

Far East mainly. Then we heard of the 'Bomb' and the war was over. Before

too long we were on the troop ship Orian coming home. We stopped at

Bombay for fuel, etc. and the marines were sent ashore to help the police to

quell the riots in India in 1946. We were in line 1 policeman/ 1 R.M. and in a

quite moment I said to the policeman nearest me, "what's up with these

people? The war is over. They should be happy. We have been away for

years! "He said "It's your fault!". I asked "How come it's our fault?" He

answered "They wanted independence and you gave it to them! It was better

when you ruled us. You were hard but always fair!"

To young people today I say - Get some time in. You will get to like it and it

will do you the world of good!

We extend a warm welcome to the following new members of the Norwich

and District Branch;

Mr David Mabbutt (A854)

“Cushina”, Marton Bridge Barn, Marton Bridge, East Marton, Skipton,

Yorks. BD23 3LP. Tel: (01282) 844942.

Record of service: Associate Member

Mr B R (Reg) Ketteringham (F855)

C/O 6, Market Place, Long Sutton, Lincolnshire, PE12 9JF. Tel: (01406)

363331.

Record of Service: 5th Bn, East Yorkshire Regiment

Mr Peter L Hodge (A856)

1 Highbridge Hamlet, Bristol, BS13 8AD. Tel: 07881357424

Record of Service: Associate Member (late Hon Gen Secretary, Normandy

Veterans Association).

In From the Cold

It is with deep regret that we record the passing of the following

Veterans and branch members.

Mr F Baker Associate Member, brother of Kitty Burge

Veteran G Barnes Served with 1st Battalion, The Royal Norfolk Regiment

Mrs B Gill Associate Member, wife of Veteran Reg Gill

Mrs L Mills Associate Member, partner of Veteran Ron Crisp

Our sincere condolences are sent to the families of all those who have

passed to the green fields and beyond.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning,

We will remember them.

Obituaries

Please ensure that the Secretary is informed of any changes of address, telephone numbers etc, so that Branch records may be kept up-to-date.

Deletions from the Roll of Members Mr F Baker (Deceased) Mr G Barnes (Deceased) Mrs B Gill (Deceased) Mrs L Mills (Deceased)

Change of Address Mrs M Gentry. c/o 28, Brook Way, Blackheath, London. SE3 9BJ Mrs B Johnson. 27, Grace Jarrold Court, Golden Dog Lane, Norwich Norfolk. NR3 1BS. Mrs M Dickinson. 43, Ashdown Court, Cromer, Norfolk. NR27 0AE

Thanks are due to the following individuals who have kindly donated to

branch funds;

G Barnes (Executors) in memory.

R Gill (in memory of his wife Betty)

A C Griffin

P Hornby

F C Webb

J Timbers (For the 70th Appeal)

A F Wright

Roll of Members Updates

Donations

Recently, the Branch has been most fortunate that the Eastern Daily

Press, principally led by Stacia Briggs, has taken responsibility for the

appeal to raise funds towards the 70th anniversary pilgrimage. Regular

readers of the EDP, Norwich Evening News and other newspapers

published by Archant in Norfolk may have seen some of the coverage

which has been given to the appeal and to the activities of the Branch.

Some of the articles are republished here for the information of all

Branch members. We send our grateful thanks to Archant for their

continued support.

(All articles and photographs copyright to the Eastern Daily Press).

How you can help Norfolk’s Normandy veterans make a final journey to

the beaches

By Stacia Briggs

Wednesday 21st September 2012.

The young men who once nervously waited for the signal to

move forward are now in their 80s and 90s. But their eyes still

sparkle and their memories are as fresh as if D-Day happened yesterday

– and now they need your help to make one final pilgrimage back to

Normandy.

Normandy Veterans in the News

On June 6, 1944, Allied Forces from Britain, Canada and America landed

on the beaches of Normandy to liberate the French from their four-year

occupation by the forces of Nazi Germany.

Troops landed on five beaches and, landing on Sword – one of the two

British beaches – were the young men, mostly in their late teens and

early twenties, of the Royal Norfolk Regiment.

By the end of what became known as The Longest Day, many had paid

the ultimate price for our freedom – now, in some small way at least,

we can help repay the debt.

Normandy veterans from Norfolk are determined to return to France to

say goodbye to old friends and capture one last mental picture of the

fields where they fought for our freedom.

As reported in yesterday’s EDP, the Norwich and District Branch of the

Normandy Veterans’ Association is looking to raise £20,000 for the 70th

anniversary of the D-Day landings in June 2014.

A fund-raising quiz has been organised by veterans Margaret Dickinson,

John Eastbury and George Gallagher, from north Norfolk, but today we

are asking readers to help raise the cash to take our veterans back to

Normandy one last time.

Jack Woods, secretary of the Norwich branch, explained that, for many,

this would be the very last trip to France for an emotional reunion and a

poignant memorial to those who never came home.

“As an elderly person, you often feel invisible,” he explained. “I go

about my business and no one looks twice, but in Normandy I feel –

and the veterans feel – as if we belong, as if we’re somewhere where

we really matter. We don’t want any Normandy veterans to feel

invisible. If they want to go back one final time to make their peace

then we want them to be able to do it without worrying about the cost.

When we go to Normandy, we take with us the spirits of those that

never came home.”

Jack was serving with the Ninth Royal Tank Regiment and landed in

France on June 21, by which time the Allies were well-established, but

being held by German forces. Quickly galvanised for the battle of the

Odon River and the capture of Caen, he witnessed horrific loss of life,

events burnt into his memory along with the recollection of intense fear.

“Anyone who says they weren’t frightened is lying. It’s a terrifying

prospect – the first time you go into action is the best because you

don’t know what to expect. After that, you knew and you were

frightened,” he said. “I’m lucky – I don’t have the flashbacks any more,

but some people do; they still have nightmares, they still scream in the

night. They can’t forget what they saw.

“When we were there, all we wanted to do was come home, but now

we need to go back.”

With high travel insurance costs for elderly travellers and the need to

bring carers and supporters for the veterans able to make the journey

to France, Jack, 88, estimates the trip will cost £20,000.

“Every year, there are fewer of us returning to Normandy, but when

we’re there we’re still the same young men we were then. Sticking

together, fighting for each other,” he said.

“We won’t be forgetting the people unable to make the trip, the

veterans who are too frail to make that last journey. They will be a vital

part of the anniversary, just as they were a vital part of what happened

on D-Day. We will go to Normandy for those too frail to travel

themselves and to remember those who never came home.

Anniversaries come and go, but we will never forget.”

Gift from German prisoner-of-war to Norfolk nurse will help our county’s war

veterans return to Normandy

By Stacia Briggs

Thursday, September 20, 2012

In war they were enemies, but in the field hospital in Normandy

they were simply patient and nurse, forging a bond that remains

almost 70 years after they met in the bloody aftermath of D-Day.

A heartfelt gift given to Margaret Dickinson, who lives in Cromer, by her

young German prisoner-of-war patient remains one of the 90-year-old’s

most treasured possessions.

Bearing the German swastika and Hitler’s signature, the medal was

given to the German soldier’s mother for her services to the Reich, and

he carried it as a good luck charm to see him safely through the horror

of war.

British bombs had killed the soldier’s mother, but Margaret’s care had

repaired much of his heartache and he insisted that she take the medal

as a keepsake: a reminder of how kindness can transcend war.

“I didn’t even think for a moment that he was the enemy – to me he

was my patient and I treated him in exactly the same way as I would

have treated a British soldier,” said Margaret, who was stationed at a

French field hospital 10 days after D-Day.

“He was really seriously ill but I knew I could help make him better. He

was only 18 and I was absolutely determined that he’d get well - and he

did. One day, he looked up at me and said: ‘I want you to have this.’ He

gave me his mother’s medal – it meant such a lot to me.

“He said to me: ‘Your bombs killed my mother but you have got me

better and I am grateful and thankful and would be so pleased if you

took this.’ It was a moment that I will never forget – our countries were

at war, but here was an act of kindness.”

The Mother’s Cross of Honour was awarded to women by the German

Reich to honour a mother for ‘exceptional merit’ to the German nation

for producing at least four or more children.

It features blue and white enamel and, resting on the centre radiant

starburst rays, a roundel decorated with the words “Der Deutschen

Mutter” (To the German Mother) next to a black swastika.

There were three class orders for mother’s medals – gold crosses for

mothers with eight or more children, silver for those with six or seven

children and bronze for those with four to five children.

“The young German could speak a little bit of English and so we were

able to have little chats. He told me that he hadn’t wanted to fight in the

war and I told him that our boys hadn’t wanted to fight either,” said

Margaret.

“When he was better, after about six weeks, he left the hospital and that

was the last I saw of him. I used to think about him quite often and

wonder what had happened to him – whether he’d made it through the

war. I still think about him.”

Margaret was stationed in several European countries during the war

and finally returned to Britain where she became a district nurse for 30

years. She has never returned to Normandy, although she dreams of

being able to travel back to France and Brussels, where she was also

stationed.

“I would love to go back, but the money is an issue and I am 90 so I

worry about walking – but to go back, to be there again would be

wonderful. I have so many memories of that time,” said Margaret.

“When people talk about D-Day they usually talk about the men who

fought on the beaches but of course there were women there too. “At

the Normandy Veterans’ meetings, I am the only female veteran, and I

often wonder where the others are. For me, being around people who

know what we went through is very important.

“The other veterans know what we’ve been through because they’ve

been through it too. For us, it’s a way of remembering what happened

and the people who didn’t come home or who are no longer with us.”

Margaret and friends George Gallagher and John Eastbury are

organising a quiz this afternoon at 2.30pm at The Cottage in Louden

Road in Cromer to raise funds for the appeal, and she stressed how

important the trip was to veterans fit enough to make the journey back to

France.

“People look at us and see old people without knowing what we’ve been

through and what we’ve seen,” she said.

“You never forget what happened and it goes with you through your life.

Going back gives the veterans a chance to remember – when people

see them in uniform there, they understand.”

By Stacia Briggs

Every year, D-Day veteran Reg Burge returns to Normandy,

desperate to piece together the final moments before a German

tank blew him out of the armoured car he was driving, killing his

friends and leaving him with a heartbreaking memory loss which

has haunted him for decades.

Three fellow soldiers died in the attack, which came seven days after

Reg and his battalion had escaped the heavy German shelling after

landing on Gold Beach on the morning of June 6 1944.

“After I was blown up, I lost part of my memory. I can’t remember the

names of the lads who died that day with me and I want to – I need to. I

go back every year, hoping to remember,” said Reg, 93.

“I have spent years trying to find my friends so that I can pay my

respects to them. I survived that day, but they didn’t. Last year we found

three graves next to each other of men killed on the same day I was

blown up and now I can’t stop thinking to myself: ‘were they my mates?’”

Reg signed up for the Devonshire Regiment in Bristol in 1940 and was

sent for training at Paignton, staying in a holiday camp in the middle of

winter before being attached to the fourth battalion.

Posted to Gibraltar, he spent three- and-a-half punishing years working

on the vast tunnel systems that lie beneath the gateway to the

Mediterranean, carved deep into the rock.

The tunnels were carved during World War Two in preparation to defend

against a German invasion: almost 36 miles of tunnels were created,

enough space to hold 16,000 men inside the rock.

“We’d do eight or 12-hour shifts and they were absolutely bloody awful,”

said Reg, who lives with wife Kitty in West Earlham.

“I’d go into the tunnels wearing my dungarees and come out looking like

a snowman, covered in rock dust and then we had to wash it off using

salt water because there was no fresh water available.”

Sent back to England to prepare for D-Day, Reg and his battalion were

stationed at Bewley Camp near Southampton, unsure what they were

preparing for and battling terrible weather conditions.

“It rained and it rained and it rained – it never stopped!” remembered

Reg. “We didn’t really have a clue what was going on, but when the

barbed wire and the Yanks arrived we knew it was something big. “Then

we were given French money, which was a bit of a giveaway.

“We set sail on June 2 and we stayed out at sea until we landed in

France on the sixth. It was really rough – we were on a flat-bottomed

landing craft and felt every single wave. Everyone was seasick.

“Everyone’s spirits were low – in fact we wished we had some actual

spirits to drink! – and we ran out of fags and fresh water pretty quickly.

Frankly, we wanted the word to attack because we wanted to get off that

boat as quickly as possible.”

Reg landed on Gold Beach after 7am on June 6. Driving his Bren

Carrier off the landing craft, he drove straight into a scene of utter

carnage.

“Everybody was frightened and anyone who says otherwise is a liar,” he

said. “We didn’t know what we were going into. I lost all my mates on

those beaches, all of the lads I joined up with, gone. My friend Tom

Theobald died on the beach beside me – he joined at the same time as

me but had never left England until D-Day. He was killed by a sniper

“I saw my mates fall, but we weren’t allowed to stop and pick up their

bodies, we had to keep pressing on. I had to try and put aside what I’d

seen and keep going.”

A week after D-Day, Reg was driving the Bren Carrier when he spotted

a German tank approaching – the tank opened fire killing Reg’s three

passengers and blowing him out of the vehicle.

He spent more than a year recovering from his injuries in hospital and

has spent almost seven decades trying to piece together enough

information to lay the ghosts of what happened that day to rest.

“Maybe my memory blocked out what happened because it was too

much for me to remember and perhaps I am shutting out things that I

can’t bear to think about,” said Reg.

Wife Kitty, who is social secretary of the Norwich and District Branch of

the Normandy Veterans’ Association, added: “He used to have terrible

nightmares: he’d wake up in the night and be terrified. It’s only in the last

20 years or so that they’ve stopped.

“Of course none of the boys ever had any counselling about what had

happened to them, they were just expected to come home, get on with

things and go back to work.

“Unless you were there, you just don’t realise what the veterans went

through, what they saw, what happened, how they have to live with it for

the rest of their lives.”

Reg and many of his fellow veterans would love to go back to Normandy

for the 70th anniversary of D-Day, allied forces claiming the beaches of

France on June 6 one last time to pay their respects to the comrades

who never made it home.

The young men who once ran towards danger are now silver-haired

veterans who, year by year, fall in amongst the ranks of their comrades

for whom D-Day marked the end of the war.

“I will go back to Normandy until the day comes when I can’t make the

journey,” said Reg. “I know that day will arrive sooner rather than later,

but until it does, I will be there.”

Kitty added: “Veterans are wonderful boys and it’s absolutely fascinating

to talk to them and hear their stories – when they’re back together it’s as

if they’re still young men reliving their experiences.

“It’s so important to have the association and for the veterans to be able

to meet up and talk to people who really understand what happened

because today, for most people, it’s just a story, something that

happened to other people. For Reg, it changed his whole life.”

If you would like to donate money to help Norfolk’s veterans return to

France to mark the 70th anniversary of D-Day in 2014, send cheques

made payable to Archant Community Media Limited to Sandra Mackay,

PA to Nigel Pickover, Prospect House, Rouen Road, Norwich, NR1

1RE. If you would like to organise a fundraising event, contact

stacia.briggs@archant.co.uk or write to Stacia Briggs at the above

address.

EDP 1/11/2012

A campaign to raise £20,000 to send Norfolk’s Normandy Veteran’s

back to France to mark the 70th anniversary of D-Day is a third of

the way towards meeting it’s target. Today, Stacia Briggs speaks to

Norwich veteran Len Fox about the Longest Day.

In a simply-bound pamphlet filled with battered photographs that tell a

thousand stories of their own, Len Fox has written the incredible account

of his war.

Len is one of Norfolk’s D-Day heroes, a man who witnessed the horror of

the Longest Day and who saw comrades pay the ultimate price for our

freedom, but whose humility is typical of the Normandy veterans who

survived to tell their stories.

After leaving school in 1938, Len was working at Roberts’ shoe factory in

Fisher’s Lane, Norwich, when war was declared.

He volunteered as a fire-watcher on the factory roof “armed with a stirrup

pump and some buckets of water, waiting for the incendiary bombs to

fall” before joining his friend Cecil Mann to work on an aerodrome being

built for the American Air Force.

Aged 16, he volunteered for the Home Guard, based at the Drill Hall on

the old Cattle Market site in Norwich, and would patrol Mousehold Heath

at night “to look out for German paratroopers and secret agents.

Len’s army papers arrived on July 1 1943 – he was 18. After training in

Blackpool, he was sent to Hereford for unit selection and later posted to

Basingstoke on a Royal Army Service Corp course, where he was taught

to drive and became a dispatch rider.

On June 5 1944, Len and his friends were issued with life jackets, live

ammunition, 24-hour rations, French currency and “a small book on how

to get on with the French population” He added: “We were all amazed

when we were given some condoms, but disappointed when told they

were to put over the spouts of our rifles and sten guns to stop the sea

water getting in! Our platoon officers checked our AB64s – a soldier’s

‘bible’ with details of innoculations, postings etc – to make sure we had

made our wills and all details were up to date. This really made us think.”

Woken early, Len joined a convoy to Tilbury Docks in London where he

joined the American Liberty ships and was issued with seasickness pills.

“Information then came over the tannoy informing us we would be landing

in Arromanches in Normandy, Gold Beach, and not to Calais as we all

thought,” he said. “On the way over we were all sick due to the rough

sea. On arrival the next morning we were offered breakfast by the ship’s

crew but none of us could eat as we looked at the most awesome sight

and sound imaginable. Warships, troopships, barges, landing-craft,

inshore rocket craft, planes overhead, barrage balloons, all hell being let

loose, the noise nearly bursting my ear drums. As a 19-year-old it was

the nearest thing to hell and that’s where I thought I was.

“The big warships out to sea were pounding targets further inland with

heavy shells which sounded like an express train going through a station

and a continuous line of barges and landing craft were making for the

beach, some of them catching their hulls on underwater obstacles and

blowing up. It was very scary.”

At 18.00, the lorries from the ship were winched on to a Rhino barge and

Len climbed down a rope ladder. Soaked to the skin, he watched as the

ramps on the barge were lowered and the trucks drove on to the French

beach.

“Mines were exploding everywhere and one of our trucks was blown up,

killing one of the lads from our platoon. While all this was going on, Jerry

was ‘stonking’ the beach with mortar and artillery fire,” he said.

“I remember seeing bodies, parts of bodies, arms and legs and so forth,

floating on the sea and on the beach. It was the first time I had seen a

dead man and I felt quite sick. I can recall seeing a Jerry helmet with part

of a head in it.”

A quiz in Cromer raised more than £100 towards the campaign

to help Normandy veterans return to France for the 70th

anniversary of D Day.

The event, at The Cottage, marked the start of efforts by The

Norwich and District branch of the Normandy Veterans Association

to raise £20,000 towards the travel and insurance costs of its

members. It was organised by Cromer resident Frank Chesterfield in

association with Cromer’s Normandy veterans Margaret Dickinson,

John Eastbury and George Gallagher, who attended the event. The

quiz, which was won by members of Roughton WI under the team

name Roughton Rules, was followed by a raffle. Donors also came in

off the street to support the good cause. After the quiz, Mr Gallagher

thanked everyone who had supported the campaign, including the

North Norfolk News and the EDP for publicity, Mr Chesterfield,

quizmaster John Groom and The Cottage, which provided the venue

for free. He added: “Any new venture has got to start somewhere. I

believe this quiz will escalate in to a wave of support throughout the

county.”

Programme of events is subject to update and change where

necessary

Monthly Social Meetings

Are held at the Royal British Legion Centre, Aylsham Road, Norwich on

the second Wednesday of every month, commencing at 11.00am.

January 9th February 13th March 13th

April 10th May 8th June 12th

July 10th August 14th September 11th

October 9th November 13th

Annual General Meeting

Are held at the Royal British Legion Centre, Aylsham Road, Norwich on

Wednesday April 10th, as part of the monthly social meeting.

Committee Meetings

Are held at the Royal British Legion Centre, Aylsham Road, Norwich on

the following dates, commencing at 10.30am.

February 1st April 5th June – TBC

August 2nd October 4th December 6th

Programme of Events 2013

Normandy Star and The Normandy Star News is printed by; CENTURY PRINTING, 132 High Street, Stalham, Norfolk, NR12 9AZ.

Tel: 01692 582958

The opinions expressed in the Normandy Star are those of the authors and

do not necessarily reflect the policy and views of the Norwich & District

Branch of the Normandy Veterans Association

All copy, articles etc. for inclusion should be sent to the Editor

Editor – Paul McAllister

12 Millside, Stalham, Norwich, Norfolk, NR12 9PA

Tel (01692) 583336

Email: NormandyStar@aol.com

Websites: www.normandystaronline.org.uk

& www.normandyveterans.org.uk